May's 'mea culpa' and no 'back door' Brexit

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The Mail on Sunday says Prime Minister Theresa May will make a “mea culpa” at the Conservative conference and apologise for the party’s general election performance in an attempt to “head off a threat to sack her”. It also carries an interview with British model Chloe Ayling after she was allegedly kidnapped in Italy.

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Two leading ministers have told the Sunday Telegraph the UK will leave the single market and customs union after Brexit. Philip Hammond and Liam Fox vow Britain will not stay in the EU via the “back door”. The paper says they are bringing an end to Cabinet infighting over the issue.

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Brexit also leads the Observer, with former Labour Foreign Secretary David Miliband telling the paper that leaving the EU is an “unparalleled act of economic self-harm”. He calls for a second vote on the government’s final Brexit deal.

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The Sunday Times says the marks required to secure the top grades in this year’s tougher GCSE and A-level examinations have been lowered. The paper says this is to “avert a dramatic fall in results”.

Image copyrightBBC Sport

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“Meghan’s royal seal of approval” is the headline on the Sunday People. It says Mike Tindall, husband of the Princess Royal’s daughter Zara, has said Prince Harry’s girlfriend Meghan Markle will “fit right in” with the royal family.

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The Sunday Mirror leads on the latest allegations to surface in the US surrounding the divorce between ex-Spice Girl Mel B and her husband.

According to the Mail on Sunday, Theresa May will make a grovelling apology at the Conservative Party conference for the loss of the government’s majority, to try to head off a threat to sack her as prime minister.

The paper calls it her “mea culpa”.

In an editorial, the paper says it is right that Mrs May will show contrition – but adds that the time for apologies is over.

It says decisiveness and clarity are the best way of uniting the cabinet, her party, and ultimately, the country.

The Sun on Sunday, meanwhile, says Mrs May is being urged to clear out what it calls the “Brexit-bashers” in a mini reshuffle in order to reassert her authority.

Image copyrightPA

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“Moggmentum” for Tory backbencher Jacob?

The Mail believes Chancellor Philip Hammond and the Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson are poised to back a leadership bid by “soft-Brexit” supporter, Home Secretary Amber Rudd – if Mrs May is forced to step down.

Both the Mail and the Sunday Times say backbencher Jacob Rees-Mogg is considering whether he should enter the race to succeed Mrs May.

Although when asked directly about his ambitions, he told the Sunday Times: “I think if I threw my hat into the ring, my hat would be thrown back at me pretty quickly.”

In an editorial, the paper says what it calls “Moggmentum” is gaining strength.

“Could he become Tory leader? Stranger things have happened”, it concludes.